MKR's Suong reveals the ailment behind her ambulance emergency

The Melbourne mum took days to recover from her illness
- byCynthia Wang

24 Apr
2018

Courtesy of Seven Network

Suong Pham (above right) started feeling pain in the pit of her stomach during Stella and Jazzey's Ultimate Instant Restaurant in Western Australia. The MKR contestant, known for her determination and grit alongside teammate and fellow Melbourne mum Kim Tran, dismissed her discomfort as regular period pains and travelled onward to Alec and Emily's restaurant on the Gold Coast. But, as viewers saw in last night's episode, Suong suffered something out of the ordinary and an ambulance was called to rush her to hospital. "It's all a blur to me, though," Suong tells WHO of her ordeal. "It all happened really quick."

Suong is feeling unwell at Alex and Emily's ultimate instant restaurant on 'MKR.'

Courtesy of Seven Network

When did you start feeling discomfort?

It started in WA before Stella and Jazzey’s Ultimate Instant Restaurant. I had bad tummy pains and was feeling very lightheaded and dizzy, just not feeling well in general. I had to lie down between courses, and then I still wasn’t feeling well coming into Alex and Emily’s, but it got worse over the evening.

Did you know what was causing you pain or was that something that was diagnosed later?

I have experienced bad period pain since I had my kids. I thought it was period pain because I’d had my period twice in one month, which was unusual. I didn’t realise it was actually a virus.

Kim Tran tends to her ill teammate Suong Pham on 'MKR.'

Courtesy of Seven Network

Did your teammate Kim know what was happening?

She knew I wasn’t feeling well, but we just continued on.

Who called the ambulance and was it the right call to get checked out?

I wanted to go to the hospital and production insisted on calling the ambulance. I was more concerned with the charges than what I was feeling!

How did the other contestants react? We see Kim telling Pete you needed to be excused.

I actually don’t remember anything about the night at all once I left the table. It all happened really quick.

Producers called for an ambulance to pick up Suong on 'MKR.'

Courtesy of Seven Network

What was the diagnosis and treatment?

I was diagnosed with an internal virus. I was on a drip from the time I got to hospital until I left the next morning. They were monitoring me the whole time. It was all a blur to me though. I don’t remember the ambulance, I can’t remember talking to the doctor, I couldn’t walk, I couldn’t go the toilet. It was very scary.

How long did it take you to recover?

I’ve never experienced anything like that before, never been in an ambulance before. It’s the first time in my life where I don’t remember anything that was going on. I was completely out of it. But it was the first time I got some proper rest since I was on the competition, forced rest. I didn’t fully recover for another week or so. I just took it easy. I could still eat and taste but I didn’t have my normal appetite.

For more on 'MKR,' pick up the latest issue of WHO on newsstands today. 'My Kitchen Rules' airs tonight at 7.30 PM on Seven.

Cynthia WangCynthia is the showbiz writer for WHO magazine and was a longtime editor at People magazine in the US. Outside of work, she still watches an inordinate amount of reality TV and wants nothing more than to be a guest programmer on Rage.